One Terrible Idea after Another
by Ghostfudge160
Summary: Danny has finally had what he believes the best idea he has ever had. His parents and Valerie are challenged to a game of mystery to discover the ultimate prize...his secret. Please review! K plus because I'm worth it.
1. One Terrible Idea after Another

**Alright guys, sorry for not posting anything in a while but good things come to those who wait! I do not own Danny Phantom that is rightfully Butch Hartman's. Anyway, I thought this would be fun topic. I apologize if any part of this seems rushed in any of my chapters but if pretty easy to understand why I did so.**

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**One Terrible Idea after another**

**Chapter 1**

The sun shined down brightly on the ground. I was a hot summer day. So hot, in fact, one could see the heat waves radiating from the ground. Most people in AmityPark complained about the heat as they walked around town but luckily, Danny didn't have this problem. Due to his ghost powers and ice core, he could keep himself cool and comfortable in this weather. He didn't need to worry about the temperature in his ghost form either due to ghosts being resistant temperature. Danny was walking around town in his human form taking a slow patrol. It was a fairly slow day and only a few ghosts showed up. Unfortunately, he couldn't go hang out with Sam and Tucker due to them being on vacation with their families. Oddly enough, this year his family didn't have a Fenton outing like they normally did which left him bored out of his mind. To make matters even more depressing, the only mental and physical stimulation he really got was from ghost hunting and fighting Valerie. However, Valerie suddenly eased up on him after the whole Dani incident. At first Danny was a little worried that Valerie might have found out he was only half-ghost but those thoughts were quickly buried. After all, Valerie didn't know Dani was his clone. Maybe Valerie finding out Dani was half-ghost opened up her mind. That hope was quickly squashed by her behavior, making Danny have doubts. The teen was quickly dragged out his thoughts when his ghost sense went off. With a small sigh he found a place to 'go ghost' before flying off into the sky to face the Box Ghost for the fifth time today.

"Don't you have anything better to do today than irritate me?" Danny asked the Box Ghost as he began his normal introduction.

"Beware! I am the Box Ghost! I control all things cardboard and squa-," The ghost was suddenly cut off when Danny finally had enough and sucked the poor ghost up into the thermos.

"He really should find something better to do." Danny mumbled to himself but tensed when an ecto-gun was heard charging up behind him.

"You know, I could really say the same thing about you, Phantom." Valerie quipped as she watched the white haired boy turn to face her. It was true she had lightened up on the ghost after the whole Dania and Vlad incident. She now knew both Dani and Vlad were half-ghost. After learning this piece of information she had a feeling Phantom was one too. At first she suspected it was genetic but that wouldn't make sense for Vlad had no wife or kids. In addition to this, he looked nothing like Dani and Phantom. It was strange seeing them together because they looked so darn similar, almost like a clone. Valerie pulled herself of her musing when Phantom finally spoke.

"Well it's summer and it is not like I have school or anything." The Ghost Boy shrugged, apparently not realizing what he said. He did it again, talking as if he was living.

This manner of talking only gave Valerie more reason to believe he was half-ghost. However, she would no let him get away with this comment unnoticed. "Oh? You go to Casper High?" Valerie smiled when she saw the ghost teen finally register what he said and try to back track. It was pretty easy to figure out he went to Casper High for it was the only high school around.

"No, that's not what I meant. I-," Before he could say anything else to try and cover up his comment he was interrupted by an irritated Valerie. He never told the truth! She shut him up by shooting an ecto-blast just inches away form his head with her ecto-gun. The shot whizzed past his head and Valerie got the reaction she wanted. Valerie was not in the mood to hear excuses.

"I don't wan to hear some excuse, ghost." Valerie hissed, her eyes narrowing, "You always seem to be full of them."

"I was not-," Phantom cut off what he was about to say when Valerie sent him a killer glare. If looks could kill Danny would definitely be full-ghost by now. Finally having enough of Valerie's attitude about ghosts and him in general, he snapped. His eyes lit up in rage and he yelled at the huntress, making wild gestures as he talked. "Maybe if you listened before jumping to conclusions you would understand more! Didn't anyone teach you it's not good to make assumptions?" Danny clenched his fists but didn't move from where he was floating.

"Maybe if you said something worth listening to, I'd listen!" Valerie yelled back, getting in Phantom's face. Her own face was twisted in a snarl. The ghost had no right to be angry with her!

"Maybe if you let me finish what I was going to say you'd know if I said anything interesting!" Danny argued back, unaware he actually was able to finish a sentence just then. His eyes were blazing with rage but he made no move to physically hurt her.

Valerie opened her mouth to argue back but thought better of it and closed it. A low animalist growl escaped her throat as she aimed her weapon at the ghost ready to shoot him. However, by the time she did this Phantom was already gone. "Damn it!" She cursed, putting her weapon away as she though about their past encounters. She hated to admit it but Phantom was right. Every time they met, Valerie shot first and asked question never. However, this time, things would be different. Maybe if she actually listened she could determine if Phantom was only half-ghost. Even at the very least, find out if he knew anything about them. Suddenly her wristband started beeping alerting her to more ghost activity.

"Come on Skulker, you're never going to catch me. Why can't you just give up already?" Phantom wined clearly irritated. He didn't seem to notice Valerie as she observed the interaction with the mechanical ghost.

"I collect all things rare and exotic, Whelp. There is nothing I cannot catch and I won't let a Halfa ruin my reputation!" Skulker declared as he shot at Phantom.

"Halfa?" Valerie muttered under her breath as she watched the two ghosts engage in battle. It didn't take long for Valerie to figure out Phantom would win. However, she wasn't focusing on that. She was thing about what Skulker had said. Halfa must mean half-human half-ghost. Then that would mean…she was right! Phantom is only half-ghost! There could be no other explanation. She looked up from her pondering to see Danny in a tight spot. Without thinking, she helped Phantom by shooting Skulker with her ecto-gun to get him off the teen. The hybrid quickly sucked Skulker up in the thermos. He nodded a small thanks to Valerie but was apparently still upset with her because he turned to fly off without saying a word. Before he could run away, she called out to him, making him stop and turn around.

"Wait!" She waited for him to turn around and face her. Curiosity was plastered on his face at why she stopped him but he made no move to come closer. His unearthly, neon green eyes stared into her own, suddenly making her a little nervous. He waited patiently as Valerie snapped herself out of it and stared back, her gaze unwavering. In order to get the information she wanted out of the ghost she knew she had to listen to him. "I…I was wrong." Valerie forced herself to say leaving a bad taste in her mouth. "I should have listened to you and in order to do that I suggest a truce." Valerie finished hoping the teen would agree. She knew he would because he always made it annoyingly clear how much he didn't want to fight her.

He rubbed the back of his neck as he replied. "I'd like a truce and I'm really sorry for yelling at you." He looked at her with pleading eyes for forgiveness.

His round doe eyes reminded him of someone she knew but she couldn't place her finger on it. She couldn't even believe he was the one apologizing! She had been so mean to him and yet here he was, apologizing. Filing that little detail about his personality away, she began to get to the real point of apologizing…her true adjective. "While we are being honest, I've been thinking about the whole Dani incident." She began quickly getting lost in her thoughts as she said them aloud. "You and Dani look so similar, if I didn't know any better I would say Dani was your clone." Valerie was so consumed in her thoughts she didn't see Phantom visibly pale. "I think you two are related but then that would mean you were half-ghost too." This time Valerie looked up to see Phantom's expression. If she thought a ghost couldn't get anymore paler, she was proven wrong just then. She watched as he suddenly became nervous and avoided eye contact. "You are half-ghost aren't you?" Valerie said much more excitement in her voice than she wanted to let on. This meant she was right!

"Yeah…," Phantom answered much to her surprise. He looked reluctant about giving this piece of information away for he was suddenly interested with his boots.

"Oh my God! I was right! Who are you?" Valerie began to throw questions at him still excited she had been right. Any thoughts of Dani completely disregarded. Valerie suddenly became wary when Phantom's demeanor changed back to it's cocky self.

In reality, Danny quickly formed a plan. He knew Valerie wouldn't leave him alone until she found out who his human form was, so why not have fun with it? Danny smirked as he looked down as Valerie with a mischievous glint in his eyes. "I'll be at the Nasty Burger at noon." Phantom gave a small wave before flying away.

"Just tell me who you…are," Valerie trailed off when she realized she was talking to air. "Noon, huh," She mused as a smile spread across her lips. Phantom was going to play a game with her. Alright, she would play. It was a very general clue, in fact, probably the vaguest one he could give but it was a start. He was taunting her. He was practically saying, _"If you're so smart figure it out!"_ She grumbled slightly but she would definitely not back down from a challenge. "Oh, he is on!" She yelled out before flying back home.

The next day, Danny woke up late but he didn't care. At least he could get some sleep. He purposefully left the Box Ghost and Skulker in the thermos so he could do just that. Stretching and letting out a nice big yawn, he climbed out of bed. Maddie was in kitchen making breakfast for her son. She herself slept in too on one of those rare occasions. Unlike the males in her house, she was more a morning person like Jazz. "Hi honey!" She greeted the hybrid cheerfully as she flipped a pancake over in the pan. A grunt was heard in response as Danny groggily made his way down into the lab. Maddie noticed he son would go down there at least once or twice a day but only when nobody else was down there. It was strange. She didn't know what he did down there but she didn't question it. He would tell her when he was ready. Danny released the two ghosts back into the Ghost Zone before heading up stairs to eat breakfast. He didn't eat much, saving his appetite for the Nasty Burger in a few hours.

"How has your summer been so far Danny?" Maddie asked trying to make conversation with her son. She made plenty of pancakes for when Jack came downstairs but apparently, Jazz already left for the library.

"Pretty boring, it only started to get interesting yesterday." Danny chuckled at the memory of yesterday. "I'm playing a game with…someone."

Maddie saw Danny's mischievous smile and was instantly curious. "Oh? What happened yesterday that was so interesting?"

"I don't know if I should tell you…," Danny looked at her amused, he was finally awake from engaging in a conversation with his mom. He shoved another piece of chocolate chip pancake into his mouth as he got another idea. How could one more player hurt? He knew he had to tell his parents eventually and what better way than with a game. They would slowly learn the truth giving them time to comprehend what he was saying.

"You can just not tell me now!" Maddie laughed as she leaned forward. "I want to play this game too. You have me curious now."

"Curiosity kills the cat." Danny laughed. He enjoyed screwing with his mom just to make her frustrated.

"But satisfaction brought him back!" His mom immediately quipped back.

"Okay you win, you can play…," Danny quickly interrupted his mother's squeal of triumph. "But there are a few rules." As he said this, Maddie instantly looked at Danny with interest as she waited for him to give the rules. He smiled as he began to give the rules. "First of all, you cannot talk to any of the other players, besides Dad. The other player of this game is Valerie. You CANNOT let Valerie know you are playing. If you do, I will quit the game and you will never know, so make sure Dad doesn't spill the beans if he agrees to play. Secondly, no outside help is aloud along with any inventions that will work on me. Even if they are ghost weapons." Danny warned lightly. "That's all the rules… oh! You can't hound me about giving more hints either. I'll give them as I see fit. That's all the rules."

"What are we trying to figure out?" Maddie asked making a note of remembering all the rules.

Danny's smile grew even more mischievous. "My secret." He watched when Maddie raised an eyebrow. "I'm sure you have noticed that my behavior has changed. The secret I have explains everything you have noticed about me. Will you accept the rules and become a player?"

"Of course!" Maddie smiled devilishly. "I never back down from a challenge!" She paused for a moment as she saw Danny get up and start to leave the room. "What's my first clue?"

Danny paused in his stride and turned back around to face her. "I'll be at the Nasty Burger at two o'clock." This would give him plenty of time to trick both of them. "Let's have lunch together."

Maddie looked like a fish out of water her mouth was hanging open so much. Her son never wants her to be seen at the Nasty Burger with her! "I'll be there!" She called after him before the front door shut behind him. Oh, this would be good.

Danny snickered once he was outside. He could meet with Valerie and talk with her at noon then come back in two hours to eat lunch. This has to be the best idea ever.

**-Two hours later-**

Danny walked into the Nasty Burger to see Valerie sitting in a booth already snacking on some fries. She has positioned herself in the restaurant to give her a clear view of the door. Danny wore his usual jean with no identifying marks but instead of his usual white and red shirt, he wore a black shirt that Sam gave him a while ago. Instead, if his usual black hair and blue eyes, he was in his ghost form but just in street clothes. He knew it would definitely tick Valerie off but it was worth it. Even he had to cause some trouble. His ghostly glow couldn't be seen unless someone looked closely so he looked like just a normal teenager. Waltzing up to Valerie, who was watching him, he slid into the booth and greeting her with a charming smile. "Hey Valerie."

She looked at him with irritation in her eyes. A slight scowl was on her face showed a well as she looked at him with displeasure. "I thought you were going to be in your human form." She spoke low so nobody could hear them. At least she wasn't making a scene yet.

"I just said I would be at the Nasty Burger. I never said I would be in human form." Danny smirked at Valerie's irritation. He had taken the loophole and it was hilarious to see Valerie cursing herself for not implementing her own conditions. "Don't worry; this is the only time I'll do this. You should see your face though, it's priceless," Phantom chuckled, clearly pleased with himself. He stole a fry from Valerie who just raised an eyebrow at him as she watched him nimble on it.

"I didn't know you could eat in your ghost form." She pointed out eating a fry herself.

"Of course I can." The ghost-powered teen looked at her as if she was crazy. Though really it was just to mess with her. "I can even use my ghost powers in human form. It's not as if I'm just two different beings in the same body. I'm _one_ person. Besides, we all make mistakes but people think that because I'm a ghost I'm not capable to do such a thing." Danny told her careful with his words while getting a point across to her. In a way, it was a clue in itself but Danny knew she wouldn't get anywhere with that clue. After all, Danny does act two different ways depending on which form he is in and who is around.

Valerie listened to Phantom's little speech. She knew he was willingly giving her information about Halfas so she was trying to retain as much information as she could. "I know you, don't I?" Valerie suddenly asked as she smacked Phantoms hand away as he tried to smuggle another fry away from her. He dropped the fry and rubbed his hand.

"If you didn't know me I would not have started this game with you, now would I?" Danny raised an eyebrow at her. He silently made a note to himself. He was fighting with Vlad too much for he started to sound like him.

Valerie rolled her eyes but she couldn't argue. It was weird; she was sitting in the local teen hangout with one of her so-called 'enemies' and having a normal conversation over French fries. On top of that, she was at total ease. This was probably due to the fact that Phantom was in street clothes and not his normal 'business' attire, if Valerie could call it that. "Do you normally wear street clothes when you're a ghost?" She asked trying to keep the conversation light but still get information out of him.

"Only for you," Phantom smiled sweetly in a joking, flirtatious manner.

"I'm flattered." Valerie said deadpanned but smiled when he started laughing.

They continued to talk and joke around as if they were old friends. Valerie was surprised he was so easy to talk with. It was almost like talking to Danny Fenton. He was so easy going and open that anybody could have a conversation with him even if they were socially awkward and didn't know what to say. She pushed Fenton from her thoughts. There was no way Danny could be Phantom. They were complete opposites after all. Soon Danny Fenton exited her thoughts as she was roped back into the conversation with Phantom. He suddenly pulled out his phone and checked the time. His eyes widened slightly at the time. It was thirty minutes until two o'clock! He had to swing back by Fenton Works to change back into his normal attire before meeting up with his mom as Fenton.

"Sorry to cut this short but I have to meet up with somebody soon. I'll swing by your house and give you the next hint in our next conversation this afternoon. See you tonight!" Phantom wavered good-bye before he existed the Nasty Burger and walked home. Once he was in view of Fenton Works, he turned invisible and flew up to his room. He quickly changed back into his normal ghost attire, in other words, his jumpsuit before flying back to the Nasty Burger. He changed into Fenton in the alley behind the restaurant and reentered the building. Valerie was still there so he waved to her before he went ad ordered himself some food. The only thing he had on his stomach was one of Valerie's fries so he was plenty hungry. His mom came in a few minutes later and ordered some food too before sitting down with Danny. "Hi sweetie." She greeted as she slid into the booth Danny was in. When she entered, she glanced over at Valerie but didn't say anything, remembering her son's rule. It wasn't long before Valerie left the restaurant. "Did you already give her the next clue?" Maddie asked, she was really curious.

"Nope, not yet," Danny simply said as he took a bite of his burger. "Though I think Valerie has it easier in this game." Her son admitted but refused to comment on why that was when Maddie asked. Instead, he changed the subject. "So, did Dad agree to play too?"

"He did but I thought it would be better if I came alone this time." Maddie reasoned as she finished her burger.

Danny hummed slightly in acknowledgement. Again, he really needed to stop fighting with Vlad so much. Next thing he knew if he wasn't careful, he would become a Fruitloop too! Danny thought about what his next clue would be. Should he go ahead and let her know it was ghost related? No, they would find out too quickly. He snapped his fingers as an idea formed in his head. "Alright, for your next clue you have to be clever. I will let you ask me one question and my answer will be a clue. However, if I don't like the question, I will refuse to answer and you must pick another one. Don't worry; any of the questions I don't answer will be answered once you figure out my secret." Danny assured his mother.

Maddie looked at Danny with a serious gaze. She would have to pick her question wisely in order to make any progress. She pondered about this for a few minutes, compiling questions in her head. "Is it ghost related?"

"I refuse to answer that question at the moment." Danny replied coolly, unfazed by the question. He had a feeling she would ask that. If he answered that now his fun would end too soon. "Next."

Maddie huffed in frustration before she asked her next question. However, Danny turned away that one too. He turned down two more before she asked a question she knew he would answer, to some extent at least. "Why do you come home with so many injuries?"

Danny looked slightly surprised at this question before muttering to himself, "thought you won't notice that."

Maddie just rolled her eyes at him. "I'm your mother; it's my job to notice these things. Just because I don't say anything doesn't mean I don't notice." She smiled as Danny had a calculating look in his eyes. She had never seen this kind of look on her son. This look was one Jazz would always give. It was nice to know that at least Danny was putting thought into this little game.

Danny paused for a moment before he spoke, wording his answer carefully. "I get into a lot of fights but I don't go looking for them. Trouble just seems to find me but this doesn't happen as school and it's not gang related or anything like that."

In reality, his answer was really vague but at least it was something. Maddie never thought Danny would go looking for a fight. She thought he was being bullied but she was never sure for he never said anything about that. Then again, if it wasn't at school and it wasn't a gang then what was it? Maddie's mind jumped back to her first question. Danny would have a reason for not answering her first question which probably meant the answer to it was 'yes'. It would have taken her a longer time if he said 'no' so it has to be ghost related. Does that mean Danny is fighting ghosts? Maddie gave her child a once over. He was very thin for his age, most likely underweight. In addition, he didn't have much stamina as proven by him barely passing the fitness exams. On top of that, Danny always acted scared of ghosts. It had to be something else. Maddie mentally reprimanded herself for assuming things that she didn't know were true or not. She had to look at the facts and right now there was no way Danny could take on a ghost. He would be killed! Maddie ruled out Danny ghost hunting; oh, how wrong she could be.

It was in the afternoon when Danny finally decided to give Valerie her next hint. He was still not completely sure what his next clue should be but it should be something that will get her to think. The Nasty Burger had been fun but it was time for Valerie's second clue. With Valerie playing, he was at a slight disadvantage for she knew about the existence of halfas and that he was one. This means it will be easier to figure him out. He quickly decided on what he would tell her and flew to her house. Her room light was on when he reached the window. He knocked on the window a few times waiting for a "Come in" before he phased into the room. Valerie was sprawled out on the bed listening to music when he entered. Deciding to just float in the air comfortably, he listened to the Humpty Dumpty song that was playing.

"Humpty Dumpty is a great band." Phantom commented to begin the conversation.

"If that's your clue then it's not a very good one. Every teenager likes Humpty Dumpty." Valerie rolled her eyes as she sat up in the bed.

"Just a conversation starter…" Phantom mumbled slightly irritated that she only thought he was just going to swing by and give her the next clue. He wanted Valerie to accept Phantom before she found out it was Fenton. This would better his chances for Valerie to accept him and continue their friendship.

"It was a joke." Valerie quickly covered up her last statement so Phantom wouldn't take her comment so personally. It seemed to do the job for he brightened back up and became to converse with her. She caught herself quickly forgetting about the clue as they ventured deeper into the conversation. Phantom talked mainly about general things so she couldn't really learn anything about his human-half.

"Remember when you totally called out Paulina in Mr. Lancer's class. That was hilarious! I can't believe I used to like her, she is so shallow." Danny purposely brought up the incident with Valerie calling out Paulina when she was claiming she could totally be the ghost boy's sidekick. It was actually pretty funny. Danny could hardly breathe when Valerie was listing all the reasons why Paulina could not possible be his sidekick. However, this was beside the point, it was just a way to bring up him being in one of her classes.

Valerie smiled at that memory then paused. "You were in Mr. Lancer's class with me." She stated as she finally realized her clue. Everyone was laughing really hard at the time as far as she could remember so she couldn't figure out his identity that way. _That doesn't mean he was laughing the hardest_. Valerie reprimanded herself for making another assumption; luckily, she had caught it this time.

Phantom just smirked as he saw the gears working in Valerie's head. Today had been a good day but it was not nearly fun enough. He pondering about his next actions as Valerie thought about the clue he gave her. Yes, he would definitely have to step up his game…well with his mom at least. He was pulled out of his thoughts when Valerie spoke, disrupting the peaceful silence that they were sitting in.

"So, where were we?" She asked the ghost. Honestly, she was fishing for more hints but as much as she didn't want to admit it, she enjoyed talking to him. He was very witty and kind. At some point during their talk, he had brought up a few of his 'criminal' acts but Valerie had already forgiven him for those, though he still felt the need to explain them anyway. It was interesting to realize how wrong she had been. When he finally left, she had a plethora to think about. For instance, he had narrowed down the male population at her school to those only in her English class last year. In addition to this, the way he talked about Paulina showed that he wasn't on the A-list. This narrowed down the people on her list to about half. It was a good start. Now, all she had to do was start investigating these people and figure out which ones may be Phantom. She thought about his behavior for a moment, comparing it to the kids on her list. None of them seemed to it the bill. Maybe this was because she didn't know anybody on her list that well. The only person she talked to on a regular basis was Danny Fenton but he never acted brave or cocky like Phantom does. Sure, they are both witty but she couldn't just go by that. No, she wouldn't knock Danny off her list just yet. She couldn't knock anyone off until she was absolutely sure…even if it was one of her true friends.

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**I hope you enjoyed this so far. Please review and post any questions, comments, or snotty remarks you may have. The next chapters will probably not be as long as this one so Es tut mir leid! (Translate: I'm sorry!)**

**Ghostfudge160**


	2. Ghostly Introductions

**This chapter is shorter but hopefully still good. **

**Enjoy! =3**

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**2: Ghostly Introductions**

To extend the game, Danny left the players to ponder for two days before he continued his plans. During that span of letting them think, he was making himself busy with ghost fighting. One of the few times he was able to talk to his friends he never mentioned the little game he was playing because he knew they would tell him it was a bad idea. Please, it was the best idea he has had all summer! Thankfully, today was fairly vacant of ghost activity, giving Danny the perfect time to continue his plot. It was early in the morning and the Fentons just got done with breakfast. Jazz left to go to the library unaware of the game that was occurring right under her nose. Once there was no sign of his sister, Danny turned to his parents.

"Alright, I think I have given you enough time to think over the clues I have given you so far." Danny began as he looked at his mother and father who instantly perked up at another clue. It was easy to tell they hadn't figured it out yet due to the frustrated looks he had seen for the past two days. "However, to get and understand you're clue you have to follow everything I say and listen to what I do say."

"Ok, I'm in!" Maddie agreed instantly ready to get her next clue. She had spent the past two days trying to come up with some theory about her son's secret but so far nothing. Talking with Jack didn't really help for he was never one for thinking games.

"Is this about ghosts?" Jack asked clearly not interested unless it had to deal with a ghost.

"Before I answer that so you agree to my terms or not?" Danny pressed. He watched as Jack paused for a moment but agreed. Satisfied by this, he began to lay out a few rules before continuing. "First rule is no weapons of any kind. Not even ghost weapons." His parents looked at him in shock but he was expecting this. They were about to protest but Danny simply raised his eyebrow, challenging them to go against what he said. Knowing this was the only way to get to the bottom of their son's troubles, they did what he asked. Satisfied when all the weapons were gone, he led them into the living room.

"No matter what I say you will listen with no interruptions." Danny demanded before rubbing the back of his neck as he began. "A while back I met this ghost dog. When he was alive, he was a guard dog at Axion Lab. He came back into the human world looking for his squeaky toy but as a result caused some minor trouble in his search. However, he is not a bad dog! He's actually a good ghost." Danny quickly added the last but continued speaking when he saw his mother ready to argue his last comment. "I know you may not believe there are good ghosts but I do for I have met a few. The ghost dog, I named Cujo, is one of them. While I was helping him find his squeaky toy, he grew very attached to me. Like my own personal guard dog, in fact. With this being said, I can call him to me by whistling. I have done this a few times to play with him to keep him satisfied so there was no need to come into the human world and find me to play. Anyway, I want you to meet Cujo but in order to do this you have to stay calm. If you overreact, he might think you are going to attack me or something and jump to my rescue. Understand?" Danny finished and waited as his parents agreed. "There will be no scientific experiments, dissections or ripping him apart 'molecule-by-molecule'. If you want to do something scientific I recommend observing."

"Alright sweetie, but just know I don't like you being around a ghost, friendly or not." Maddie warned her husband agreeing right behind her.

"I know that and I'm not asking you to be." Danny informed her matter-of-factly before adding. "You might want to cover your ears."

His parents did as they were told as Danny put two of his fingers in his mouth and let out a loud, high-pitched whistle. It was silent for a few minutes and Maddie began to lose faith the dog would come. That was quickly remedied when she heard a bark of excitement sound in the kitchen. The little green dog tackled Danny down and licked his face but his parents saw it as an attack. They quickly activated the weapons in their hazmat suits, aiming them at the puppy. Sensing the threat Cujo transformed into a huge dog and was ready to attack Maddie and Jack but a voice made all of them freeze.

"Stop!" Danny yelled as he got in between the two, facing Cujo. "Cujo, sit!" Danny commanded and as much to his parents' surprise, the huge dog obeyed, though he seemed reluctant. Danny then turned his head to look at his parents. "I told you stay calm and no weapons. Now, put your weapons away and sit back down." He said firmly. His parents started to open their mouth to protest but knew they had no choice but to comply. Once Danny was sure they were not going to overreact again, he addressed his parents one more time before addressing Cujo. "Cujo's way of greeting me is normally to tackle me and lick my face. Sorry, I forgot to mention that. Cujo be cute!" Danny cooed at the dog.

The dog happily obeyed now that the threat was gone though he was still wary of the two adults. He flew into Danny's arms, which were outstretched. Danny rubbed the dog behind the ears before addressing his parents once more. "Cujo these are my parents. Mom, Dad, this is Cujo. He acts like a normal dog so you don't need to treat him differently."

Danny proceeded to walk over to where his parents sat on the couch so they could pet Cujo. At first, the ghost dog pressed himself closer to Danny's chest, not wanting to meet the couple. However, Maddie stuck out her hand to let the dog sniff it. A few seconds later, Jack followed suit. Curiosity finally got to the puppy and he sniffed their hands. Apparently satisfied with what he smelt, he nudged Maddie and Jacks hand to bet him. Seeing this gesture, Danny sat down between his two parents and watched as they pet the small dog.

"Fascinating." Maddie muttered as she interacted with the dog.

"Can he do any tricks?" Jack asked curiously.

"Of course!" Danny exclaimed genuinely happy his parents have accepted Cujo. He stood up and obtained the little dog's attention.

"Lay down." Danny watched as the little dog obeyed happily. "Beg." He moved on and smiled when the dog complied throwing a cute begging face in with the trick. "Shake," holding out his hand to the pup, they shook hands and then gave each other a high five for the next trick. "Be big!" Danny smiled when the dog grew in size but still had a joyful expression on his face. "Good boy! Come here!" Danny laughed when the dog instantly became small again and jumped in his master's arms barking gleefully.

Danny's parents watched on with a smile lightly touching their face. They had to admit, it was quite a sight. However, it bothered Maddie that he son was so at ease with the ghost, harmless or not. Jack seemed to completely forget the dog was a ghost and proceeded to play with it as Danny's gaze looked down at Maddie. The same calculating look was etched onto his features like before. This was a very big hint but she wasn't sure it meant that he was associated with ghosts. Her gut told her he was. Maybe she could ask her question and actually get an answer.

"Danny," Maddie began hesitantly then paused for a moment, just enough to build up her courage. "Are you associated with other ghosts as well?" Maddie finished her question waiting to see if Danny would respond.

He was quiet for a moment. His face was indecisive as he decided whether to answer or not. "Not all ghosts are evil, Mom. Most just want to be left alone." Danny began to answer looking at her with a serious expression. "The only ones that you see are evil because they want to cause trouble so they leave the ghost zone. There is one ghost who is good that you see and hunt, but you continue to be blind to this fact. I guess my whole point for letting you meet Cujo was an attempt to get you to open up your mind. Try talking to a good ghost instead of hunting it. I guarantee you that you will learn more in that talk than simply shooting at the ghost." Danny had avoided her question but this raised more questions for Maddie.

"You mean to say you want me to talk to Phantom?" Maddie concluded in disbelief. He could not be asking her of such a thing. This had to be some joke. She waited to hear Danny exclaim he was only joking but no such comment came. He looked at her with serious eyes as he took in the emotions that crossed her face. Sighing in defeat, she looked at Danny with a smug expression, "and how do I find the most elusive ghost in all of AmityPark?"

Danny's face broke out into a very mischievous grin. "I thought you would never ask." He called Cujo to him and began to leave the house. "I'm going to go play with Cujo. Be on top of the Op Center at midnight. No weapons allowed." With that being said the front door shut quietly behind him leaving a shocked Maddie and oblivious Jack behind.

"Does this mean our son is somehow associated with Phantom?" She voiced her thoughts aloud trying to process everything that happened. She knew one thing for sure. In order to get to the bottom of this, much to her dread, she had to continue to do everything Danny said. Maddie always thought she was open-minded but her son had just said the complete opposite. Maybe he was right. She looked over at Jack who now had a serious expression on his face, making him look more mature than he was.

"What are we going to do if Danny is associated with ghost, Mads?" Jack asked, then cleared up his question. "I mean all ghosts are evil and should be hunted but yet Danny just denied that fact." Jack sat on the couch, pouting slightly.

Maddie leaned over and touched his arm reassuringly. "There is only one thing we can do to figure this out. We have to play along with this game with an open-mind. Disregard everything we believed and know about ghosts up until now. We have to look through Danny's point of view. It's the only way to discover the complete truth." When Maddie finished she knew she believed everything she just said much to her displeasure. She hated being wrong but she would gladly admit it if it meant figuring out why her baby boy had become so distance from her over the few years.

Jack nodded solemnly. If Maddie believed this was the only way to figure out their son then Jack would follow along too. "Let's do it Mads." He agreed. He was slightly disappointed that by the look of things Danny was not ghost hunting. If only he realized the truth.

Valerie had been flying around all day as the Red Huntress, observing the kids she still had on her list to see if they acted… ghostly. Most of them just hung out with their friends and did nothing but talk with friends. It was boring to watch but it had to be done. She had marked off five boys off her list due to them being in the same place as Phantom and running away from the ghost he was fighting with tears in their eyes. However, this didn't surprise her. She was shocked to see the ghost dog that ruined her life with him as well. The dog fought along side Phantom. All hard feelings Valerie had toward the dog was gone along with the rage she once had toward Phantom. She still doubted him when he claimed the dog wasn't his for they seemed awfully friendly with one another. She glanced down at her list four more names to go. Once Skulker was gone, she flew next to the ghost boy. "I thought you said the dog wasn't yours." She questioned him slyly.

Much to her disappointment, he shrugged and replied, "In order to keep him from causing trouble I have to play with him every now and again. Besides, he kind of grows on you. Don't you Cujo? Don't you?" Phantom began to coo over the dog as if flew into his arms, now small. He scratched the dog behind the ears before glancing up at Valerie. "You want to help me play with Cujo?"

Valerie was about to protest but then closed her mouth and nodded. Through she hated ghosts it would be interesting to see how much of a dog this ghost acted like. Phantom smiled his cocky smile and led Valerie to an open field with nobody around. The ghost teen had brought a ball with him; he landed on the ground and dropped his arm back to throw the ball. Using his ghostly strength, he chucked the ball clear across the field. Cujo barked happily as he bolted after the ball, forgetting he could fly. Danny laughed at the little dog. Valerie couldn't help but smile also. They took turns throwing the ball for the little dog, talking all the while.

"Do you have any connection to Vlad?" Valerie asked unexpectedly. For some reason it was really bothering her.

Phantom glanced over at her as he threw the ball once more before warning her. "If we go on the subject of Vlad it will count as a clue."

"I'm fine with that." Valerie quickly assured him. "So will you answer my question?"

"The only thing we have in common is that we are the only two halfas in the world. Well, three now, I guess." Danny quickly corrected himself as Valerie just raised an eyebrow at his slip up but said nothing on the matter. It wasn't as if he would address it anyway. "It's not like we are related or anything. Though I guess, Dani and I are kind of. Anyway, that's beside the point, why would you ask about the Fruitloop?" Phantom quickly ended his little rant, clearly not realizing how worked up he was getting over just talking about Vlad. His eyes blazed brighter than normal in anger and he chucked the ball harder than indented making Cujo having to fly after it.

"He definitely is a Fruitloop." Valerie laughed as Vlad's nickname. "How are you and Dani 'kind of' related either you are or you aren't. There is no in between."

I thought you wanted to talk about Vlad?" Danny asked uncomfortable with the Dani subject at the moment. "I'll talk to you about Dani another day."

Valerie sighed she knew it was no use trying to push him. He would just buck even harder. "You mentioned you could use your ghost powers in human form. Does that mean when you get mad your eyes turn green?" Valerie asked. If this were true, it would give her a good way to figure out if it was any of the four people on her list.

"What are you going to do, anger everybody still on your suspect list? It's not as if every time I get angry my eyes flash green. That's only when I get severely pissed." Phantom laughed brushing off her question though he made a mental note of keeping a cool head around Valerie until she figures it out.

Valerie deflated slightly at that but Phantom interrupted her pouting with a question of his own. "Who is left on your list, anyway?" he was really curious to see if he was still on there. If not then he would have to give her something to suspect him.

She pulled out her list and read out the names, "Tucker, Danny, Lester, and Nathan."

Danny couldn't help but laugh. "Nathan! You still have him on the list! Oh that is hilarious!" He was clutching his side as he laughed uncontrollably. It was pretty obvious to him that there was no way Nathan could be him.

Valerie raised her eyebrow at him. She knew he was right but she wouldn't rule out anything until she had evidence that he wasn't Nathan. "Oh, why not Nathan?"

"Are you stupid? Do I ask you to go to the prom with me three years before the event actually takes place?" Phantom point out with a chuckle as he composed himself.

"Thanks for admitting you're not him." Valerie smiled devilishly as she pulled out a pen and marked him off the list. "Now I have three people. It's a shame two of my friends are still on their but I can't rule anything out."

Phantom smacked himself in the face at this. He completely didn't realize he just gave Valerie a major hint. "What to go-," He abruptly cut off before he said his last name. That would have been a big give away. He sighed, irritated at himself. "Seems I gave you enough hints for today. Have fun in your investigation." Phantom floated into the air with Cujo and flew off.

Valerie smiled. The boy was sure beginning to squirm. Oh, this would be fun. Danny, on the other hand, was silently cursing at himself for all the slip- ups he just made in that talk with Valerie. She had only three suspects left! Three! He frowned for a second, Tucker was away on vacation with his family. Valerie knew he couldn't duplicate very well, he could only do one duplicate, so that would automatically knock Tucker off leaving only him and Lester. This was not good. She would find out too soon. He had to sway her off his tail to get the game to last longer. The true question is how…

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**End of Chapter 2. I hope you guys liked it. I won't know unless you review now will I? hint hint**

**Ghostfudge160**


	3. Crazed-up Ideas

**I hope you guys enjoy =3**

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**3: Crazed-up Ideas**

Cujo was safely back in the Ghost Zone as he went into the kitchen for a snack. Whipping up a small sandwich he munched on it as he made his way up to his room. It was about an hour until midnight and his parents were nowhere in sight. _Probably up in the Op Center. _He thought with a smirk. By getting his ghost-half involved, it would hopefully get his parents suspicious of the connection between the two. Though, they will miss it, if they are narrow-minded. He knew he would drop a few hints here and there, hopefully his parents weren't too dense to figure it out. Glancing at the clock to see it was close enough to midnight, Danny went ghost and floated up to the top of the Op Center. There he saw his parents sitting down next to each other looking up at the stars. He remembered as a kid they used to sit up there as a family and star gaze. It was quite fun.

"Danny said you wanted to see me." Phantom rubbed the back of his neck. He wouldn't admit it but he was nervous. If his parents didn't listen to him they wouldn't get anywhere.

"Yeah, we are playing this game and Danny said to talk to you about ghosts." Maddie answered with no hatred in his voice.

This was a pleasant surprise but also worried Danny. He thought that would put up more of an argument. "Are you okay?" Danny asked letting worry lace his words as he landed on the Op Center.

"It's kind of interesting to hear that your son is associated with ghosts and then have him tell you that practically everything we know is wrong." Maddie sighed but quickly changed topics. "That's enough about my problems, I hope you realize the only reason we are keeping an open-mind and talking to ghost scum like you is to figure out what has my son acting so strangely." Maddie replied her voice turning hard and giving off a slight warning tone.

"I'm flattered." Phantom deadpanned before lightening up the conversation. "So what ghosts have you encountered?" This questions seemed to do the trick, for Jack began to blabber on about ghosts. Danny smiled at this and engaged in the conversation with his dad. Eventually, Maddie became interested and jumped into the conversation as well. Danny gave a ton of information about his enemies but avoided anything that related to him or would seriously harm his enemies. His parents couldn't find out he was a halfa just yet. They talked for a while before Danny began to lead the conversation toward him. Maddie seemed slightly hesitant about Phantom guiding the conversation but quickly disregarded this when he talked about himself. He talked about his thoughts on the ghosts and relationship with them.

"Oh yes!" Danny snapped his fingers when a fitting hint came to mind. "You should really figure out why your inventions work on Danny. He knows why but do you?" Phantom smirked as he went intangible and disappeared, leaving his parents in silence.

"How does Phantom know about that?" Maddie asked Jack who just shrugged. It was a very interesting clue for she didn't think Danny knew why their inventions worked on him. It was something they would have to figure out. Both husband and wife sat there for a while reviewing everything that was said with one another. It was easy to conclude Danny had something to do with ghost, specifically Phantom but what? It's not like their son could be a ghost right?

Danny woke up the next day around ten o'clock. Not ready to get up, he rolled over and snuggled deeper into bed. However, this attempt to fall back asleep was all for naught. His father entered the room exclaiming Danny's name. Danny had his back turned so he failed to see a Spector Deflector in Jack's hand that was still accidentally turned on.

"Rise and Shine!" Jack exclaimed as he went to nudge Danny to wake him up. As soon as Jack touched him, electricity rocketed through Danny's body. He cried out in pain and quickly jumped back from his father, irritation on his face. Surprised by Danny's reaction, Jack realized he had the Spector Deflector turned on. "Sorry, Danny-boy." He smiled sheepishly before turning off the device.

Danny sighed before forgiving him and went downstairs to eat some breakfast. Maddie was making some waffles today. She hummed as she worked only stopping in her melody to greet her son when he entered the kitchen. Mumbling a greeting, he sat at the table.

"Is something the matter, sweetie?" Maddie asked then clarified. "You look like you just got shocked with electricity."

"Hmm, you know, I think you are right. I did get shocked by the Spector Deflector a minute ago so I guess that could explain it." Danny's voice was oozing with sarcasm. He was grumpy from the rude awakening. Knowing it wasn't his parents' fault, he sighed before muttering a quiet "sorry".

"Don't worry about it, honey. Though speaking of inventions, I heard a funny thing from the ghost boy." Maddie began as she finished the waffles and sat down across from Danny. "He said you know why the inventions work on you. Care you tell me?"

Danny looked up at his mom and simply replied, "it's because of the portal accident a while back." He didn't give any details as he started to shovel fluffy waffles into his mouth.

Maddie remembered the accident well. She was glad her baby boy was not in the portal when it happened but what Danny just said it sounded like he was in the portal. "Weren't you outside the portal? If you were outside then you wouldn't have been affected in anyway besides maybe a good scare." Maddie reasoned, the scientific side of her taking over.

She looked up at Danny who just gave her a pointed look. "You know, I am a terrible liar…" Danny trailed off as he took another bite of his breakfast but his eyes never left her own.

"Are you meaning to tell me you were inside the portal?!" Maddie exclaimed in surprise. "Danny the amount of electricity would have…" Maddie trailed off when realization hit her, "killed you…"

"I'm not dead," he exclaimed then muttered just low enough for Maddie to no hear him, "well no fully…" He then reassured her, "don't freak out. The ectoplasm and electricity just gave me an ecto-signature. That's why your inventions work on me." Danny said nonchalantly as he finished his meal.

"Why didn't you tell us sooner?" Maddie was hurt that Danny didn't come to her but she hid it from her face.

"You're really asking that?" Danny said in disbelieve still apparently grumpy from before. "You two are so closed minded you would have thought that I was possessed or something and tried to get the fake ghost out of me. Which, might I add, would have probably killed me." He finished what he said and left the house but not before he was hit in the back of the head by Jazz. "Ow, what was that for Jazz?" Danny grumbled turning to glare at his sister.

"I wanted to find you quicker. You want some company?" Jazz asked as she picked up the Boooooomerang and set it on the table.

"Sure," Danny answered back and the door closed lightly behind him.

Maddie eyed the device for a while before picking it up. It was keyed into Danny's 'ecto-signature' but in order to have one that would take a large amount of ectoplasm to be infused into his cells. She would have to do more research on this. Going down into the lab, she checked the security camera tapes to find Danny's accident. Not really surprised, the tape was gone along with a few other here and there. Making her way into Danny's room, she quickly scanned for the tapes in any hiding spots she could think of. Little did she know that Danny had phased the evidence in between the walls. Her fruitless search only made her more curious. She looked down at her hand to look at the Boooooomerang. "It would be impossible to have that much ectoplasm infused into your DNA and not have other consequences. Yet, he said he wasn't dead." Maddie reasoned as she went up to the Op Center to think about this.

Meanwhile, Danny and Jazz were walking down the street together chatting. The reason Jazz wanted to talk to Danny was to figure out why their parents were acting so weird. "That's the dumbest idea you have ever thought of, Danny. Are you trying to get yourself killed?" Jazz shook her head. When Jazz questioned her little brother about her parents he proceeded to tell her what game he had cooked up, much to her horror. "I'm all for you telling our parents but do you really think this was the best way?"

"Of course, Jazz!" Danny exclaimed frustrated as he threw up his arms. He lowered his voice so nobody passing by would hear. "By only giving clues as Fenton, it lets Mom and Dad have time to accept the facts. Plus I have a less chance of being 'ripped apart molecule-by-molecule' because they are now forced to have an open mind. In addition to this, I also set rules that they cannot break so my secret will only be revealed to Valerie, Mom, and Dad. Nobody else. See Jazz, it's a great idea!" Danny explained to his sister who seemed pretty impressed he had deeply thought it out.

"Alright, I'll trust you. I still think it's a dumb idea." Jazz submitted with a small smile. To be honest, it wasn't that bad of an idea but she would never admit that.

"Relax, Jazz." Danny assured his sister before his ghost sense went off. Before he could find a place to 'go ghost', he realized it was only the Box Ghost. "Are you kidding me?" Danny laughed as he pulled out a thermos and Jazz pulled out a small ecto-ray that he had given her along with Sam and Tucker who also had one. It took only about two minutes for them to capture the ghost. "Hmm, that took longer than suspected." Danny muttered as they continued walking.

"What, two minutes? Oh no! Danny you're slipping." Jazz dramatically exclaimed as if it was some terrible thing.

They both shared a look with each other before bursting out in laughter. "Jazz, no!" Danny mocked, referring to the time Vlad had pitted her and him against each other.

"What have I done? Danny, could you ever forgive me?" Jazz quoted before they once again busted out in uncontrollable laughter.

"Well, I'm glad you two are enjoying yourselves at my expense." A sinister voice spoke behind them laced with malice but yet smooth as velvet. Danny and Jazz turned around to face the familiar voice that could be no other than Vlad Masters.

"Vlad! What are you doing here?" Danny demanded to know his hands curling into fists.

"Oh relax, Daniel." Vlad told the boy, rolling his eyes. "I'm not here to fight."

"If your not here for our weekly fight then what are you here for?"

"Oh, I'm pleased you look forward to seeing me, Little Badger."

"As if! What are evil plot are you planning this time, Plasmius?"

"Oh? I can't just say a friendly hello?"

Danny scoffed, "no."

"Very well, it seems the young Ms. Grey suddenly quit her ties with me after the whole Danielle incident. I was curious to see if you knew why." Vlad asked nonchalantly but kept his gaze on Danny the entire time.

"Yeah, she figured out you and Dani were both part ghost. I don't know how she figured that out. When she told me I was pretty surprised. You must have slipped up somewhere V-man." Danny replied seriously until the last sentence. It was just too much fun to not poke at the older hybrid. He also knew lying to the man would only anger him, causing trouble for both him and Valerie.

"Mmhmh, and you wouldn't have anything to do with her discovering now would you?" Vlad looked at Danny with condescending eyes.

"Excuse me? You're accusing me?" Danny said in disbelieve. "I never said anything. She's on my tail now."

"Well, you are playing a game with her now regarding your secret." Jazz pointed out correcting Danny without realizing it.

"After she accused me of being a halfa!" Danny exclaimed. "If she is going to find out anyway why not have some fun with it?"

"Maybe I'll join in this game…" Vlad mused aloud, instantly getting a protest from Danny.

"No way! You are not going to ruin my fun this time!" Danny got up in Vlad's face. "Don't you dare." Danny's eyes flashed green, warning Vlad to step down but this only fueled Vlad more. There was no way this Fruitloop was going to ruin is one true fun this summer!

"Oh? The scary eyes!" Vlad exclaimed putting up his hands in mock fear. "I'm so scared."

"You should be. Sam and Tucker aren't here to hold me back. This is the only entertainment I have been getting this summer." Danny growled his eyes still a brilliant neon green. Whatever anger he had was instantly disappeared as he decided to take Vlad's approach. "You're a respectable business man," He began. The change in demeanor and what Danny said got Vlad's attention, immediately. Maybe he was teaching the boy something. "Let's make a deal. You don't come anywhere around me and disrupt my game. That means pretending you never knew about it and not having any of your pawns partaking in the game. In return, I'll spend a day with you." Danny finished his own lips twisted up in a sinister smile.

Danny's change in behavior startled Jazz but once she saw Vlad become interested in what Danny was saying she knew what he was playing at but Vlad's rules. His change in tactics was impressive but it was scary how well he could pull it off. Jazz was distracted from her pondering when Vlad spoke.

Vlad paused for a moment considering what Danny had said but he knew he would be getting the short end of the stick. With a smirk he looked at Daniel with slight pride in his eyes. Yes, he was definitely teaching the boy, even if he didn't realize it. "A very interesting deal, Daniel. However, I will only comply if you spend a week with me. Merely one day is clearly not enough."

"Three days." Danny instantly said knowing that if he shot low in his little speech Vlad would shoot high so he came out on top.

Vlad raised an eyebrow. The boy wanted to bargain now? "Very well, four days. It takes time to travel, dear boy."

Danny paused for a moment thinking the offer over in his head. Deciding he could survive four days with the older hybrid, he agreed. "I will call you two days after the game has ended. You can pick me up the day after I call." Danny informed him extending his hand to Vlad. "If the deal is broken then the person who broke it can expect punishment from the other." Danny added before Vlad reached out to shake the younger hybrid's hand.

"Deal." Vlad confirmed. The two pulled their hands away. "It seems I have been teaching you something after all." Vlad praised. "I'll be waiting for your call." He smirked and walked away casually.

Once Vlad was out of sight Danny let his shoulders drop into his normal posture. He looked at Jazz who was watching him with her usual analyzing gaze. "Do you always do this with Vlad now? You seemed pretty used to it."

"Nah, that was my first time trying that tactic. Seemed it worked pretty well. It's worth staying four days with Vlad if that means being able to complete the game on my terms." Danny reasoned as they continued to walk around. "The game should probably end in a day or two anyway." He shrugged. By the time they had finished their little walk it was around lunch. "Want to go get some food at the Nasty Burger before we go our separate ways?" Danny asked as they walked past the restaurant. Jazz agreed and they went to eat. One thing was for sure. Nothing would ruin Danny's game. Not even a crazed-up Fruitloop.

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**Please review. If you have any ideas for other stories or one-shots let me know!**

**Ghostfudge160**


	4. Connecting the Ghostly dots

**Last chapter is here! On to another story!**

**Enjoy!**

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**4: Connecting the Ghostly Dots**

Danny woke up the next and final morning of his game with a yawn. He strolled downstairs to go scavenging for food in the kitchen. Jack and Maddie had gotten up earlier and were in the lab, leaving Danny to hunt for breakfast himself. He poured himself a bowl of cereal to munched on quietly as he listened to his parents converse and tinker with a few things down in the lab. He sat at the table, wondering if his parents figured it out yet. He doubted it for they would have been waiting for him in the kitchen or woke him up earlier. Nevertheless, he ate in a content silence looking forward to the day. Nothing could ruin this.

Down in the lab, Maddie and Jack were serious for once. They didn't want this game to continue any longer than they needed to be. They had to be getting closer to the truth by now! Maddie didn't want to use the Boooooomerange just yet. She knew it was breaking the rules but it would get her to the truth if her theory was correct. Maybe she could bypass the invention all together and confront Danny to see if she was on the right track. Her theory was something she would have never have thought of if she used all the evidence she had gathered from the past years of research. Danny single handedly discredited the evidence in a single conversation. Years of work… pointless. For some odd reason, Maddie believe what her son said instantly. Normally she would have argued and fought against what he was telling her but instinct told her to believe him. She had to look through her son's point of view where he didn't know a lot about science and genetics. Now here she was, in the lab with her husband working on their theory.

"I'm telling you Jack, Danny was holding back information! He said he had an ecto-signature but in order to have such a thing he must be a ghost!" Maddie argued with her husband who could be so naïve about people. "He would have more than an ecto-signature, probably even a ghost form with the amount of ecto-energy and electricity he was shocked with!"

"But Mads, you're suggesting Danny-boy is half-ghost! That's impossible!" Jack argued for once serious and sticking to his roots. If anyone was listening in to the conversation it would been seen as ironic for they switched sides. Maddie suggesting the impossible while Jack is being realistic. "He would have told us!" Or…maybe not.

"Sorry to interrupt but I was wondering if I could hang with Uncle Vlad for four days starting Monday." Danny asked reluctantly for he knew he had to complete the deal he made with the evil Fruitloop.

"Of Course Danny-boy!" Jack said instantly as Maddie looked at him with mild interest. She was under the impression he didn't like the man. Looking at his attitude she knew she was right but yet he still wanted to go. Interesting…but she couldn't focus on that now. "We should be done coming up with our theory by dinner so make sure you are there." Maddie told her son as she began collecting a few papers that were strewn around the lab.

"Alright thanks Mom." The raven haired boy said before leaving the lab and going to find Valerie before calling Vlad.

"Jack, just listen to me for a moment…" Maddie began as she persuaded Jack into believing her idea, which wasn't that hard. Once both were on board with the theory, they went on the computer to pull up a picture of Danny. "Here's what I am thinking. If we play around on the computer with a picture of Danny then we might see what ghost he is, helping to prove my theory." Maddie explained as she and her husband crowded around the screen.

Meanwhile, Danny flew around the town on a ghost patrol. It didn't take long to spot Valerie who was riding by doing the same thing as well, or so he thought.

"Hey Fenton!" She called out. At this time Danny was attempting to imagine what his parent's theory was so he didn't realize he was in his ghost form.

"Yeah Val?" He answered automatically as he scanned the streets for ghost activity. However, instead of stopping to talk to her he just slowed his speed so she could catch up.

"Looks like I win this game, Danny." She said a new sweetness and perhaps guilt and sorrow in her voice.

"What?" Her comment finally grabbed Danny's attention and he stopped to look at Valerie. Finally registering their small exchange he looked down at himself to see he was in ghost form.

"Damn it!" He cursed smacking his face. "Smooth, Fenton, Smooth." He grumbled, landing on Valerie's board. "Was that your plan to figure out all along? Yell a name out when I was distracted to see if I would respond?" He asked, curious why his name was the first to be called.

"Please Danny, I figured it out before I came here. First off, Foley isn't even here, he's on vacation. Secondly, Lester screamed like a girl when Skulker stuck him to the wall. In addition to that, he was seen in the same area with you just yesterday. You and Lester look nothing alike. I can't believe I didn't notice before. I guess I was just blinded by my unjust hate. I'm sorry, Danny." Valerie apologized sincerely as they landed on the ground.

"Apology excepted, though I never blamed you for hunting me. After all, if I had more control over my powers back then none of this would have ever happened. I should be the one apologizing." Danny replied reverting back to his human form.

Valerie laughed. "Don't be sorry and before you say anything I won't beat myself up over this." She answered Danny's unspoken comment for she knew it was coming. He was just too sweet of a guy. "Friends?" Valerie asked.

"Friends." Danny confirmed, stepping forward to hug Valerie. He was a little colder but she didn't complain, in reality, it was actually nice. They pulled away and stood their awkwardly for a moment before Danny spoke. "So, you want to help me finish my patrol and hopefully kick some ghost butt? I have to finish this before dinner anyway."

"Always!" Valerie happily agreed. "What do you have to do by dinner?"

"Well, I haven't broken the whole halfa thing to my parents yet." Danny began as he changed back into Phantom and they took to the sky. "I'm playing the same game with them but as Fenton. It's slightly harder for them but they seem to be on the right track. This way I have a better chance of them accepting me." Danny explained as they made their rounds. "Which leads me to my next matter: asking you for a favor."

"What would this favor be?" Valerie asked. To be honest, once Phantom grew on her she had forgotten her whole purpose of taking this challenge on. They were just two friends now but that didn't mean she would stop picking on him.

"In order to stop Vlad from intervening I made a deal with him. So I was wondering if you could take over my job for four days starting Monday." Danny explained reluctantly.

"On one condition."

"That condition is?"

"You answer some questions."

"I can do that. Ask me anything."

"How did this," Valerie gestured to his ghost form, "happen?"

Danny launched into his story of how he got his ghost powers and who all knows along with her other questions concerning Dani and a few about Vlad. Overall, they were very easy questions and Danny had to no trouble answering. They were able to capture the Box Ghost, Skulker, and Technus by the end of their round around AmityPark. "Oh, I recommend keeping the ghosts you catch in the thermos at night if you want any sleep." Danny advised as he handed her his spare thermos. "You can always drop it off in my room with a note or just go into the lab when my parents aren't home. I'm sure Cujo could phase you through if I told him to."

"Don't worry about it." Valerie assured him. "You sure Vlad won't do anything to you?"

"Yeah I'm sure." Danny said rolling his eyes. "The Fruitloop just shows affection in his own crazed-up way." He knew this statement was true but he always tried to avoid the truth for it was easier. This kept things in black and white perspective. They parted ways at Fenton Works with a small wave. Danny went into the house and to the lab to empty the full thermos of ghosts he caught with Valerie. His parents were still down there but he wasn't worried about that. Ignoring his parents curious looks he went straight to the portal and emptied the ghosts out of the thermos in plain view.

"Wait, the thermos works?" Jack broke through the silence with a dumbfounded expression.

"Yeah, always have." Danny answers nonchalantly as he starts heading for the door. "What's for dinner?"

"I thought about ordering pizza." Maddie suggested and smiled when he saw her son's face brighten up.

"Sounds great!" He answered. "I'll be in my room!" With this being said, he left without another word. Once he reached his room, he reluctantly picked up his phone and dialed Vlad. Grant it, it was the home phone but it worked all the same. It rang a few times before a faceless voice answered the phone.

"Hello, Vlad Masters speaking. Who is this?" Vlad spoke formally and emotionlessly.

"This is Danny. I'm letting you know you can pick me up Monday. The game should be done by then." Danny spoke reluctantly but it was necessary. There was no use putting off the inevitable.

"Why Daniel, letting me know ahead of time? If I didn't know any better I would say you were looking forward to our time together." Vlad's silky voice sounded out of the phone.

"As if. I'm just letting you know. Just swing by my house or something on Monday to pick me up, Fruitloop." Danny finished, hanging up rudely. He enjoyed screwing with his arch-enemy but now that Danny thought about it, was Vlad really his arch enemy anymore? No, he wasn't. Over time Danny had seen many sides of Vlad and somewhere in his mind, Danny pitied him. That pity wasn't what changed his behavior, not completely. By showing just a tiny bit of kindness to Vlad he knew the man could change. Everything Vlad had been saying was true. All he really wanted was love, in his own loopy way he tries to achieve it through evil schemes. Vlad was becoming less of an arch-enemy but more of a... dare he think…friend. Danny wasn't sure anymore. Hopefully, four days with Vlad will help him realize where he stands with the man. Either way it was a win-win for Danny. There was plenty of time to think about Vlad later, first he had to focus on the game he was playing.

It was getting close to dinner time so Maddie was forced to step away for a few minutes from the lab to order pizza. Once she was back, they complied their evidence together into a small stack. By playing with Danny's picture, they figured out he looks like Phantom, in the body and face structure anyway. Phantom was a negative version of Danny, meaning they were definitely connected. While Maddie attempted to figure out if it is possible to have ghost powers but yet be human, Jack was combing through all the old tape. If anything looked suspicious he was to alert her. Maddie tinkered around with a few things before finishing her theory. It was crazy but it was the only thing she could come up with. Under the right circum stances her theory could be true but it was near impossible. The door bell rang and Maddie went upstairs to get the pizza. Their time was up. "Danny! Dinner is here!" Maddie called up the stairs as Jack came into the kitchen. "Anything?" She asked slightly hopeful but it was quickly squashed when he shook his head.

Danny came downstairs with curiosity on his face. They all sat down at the table and got their pieces before talking. "So, what is this theory you have been working on all day?" Danny began, curiosity getting the best of him.

"It may sound crazy but under the right circum stances it can happen." Maddie began pausing briefly before continuing. "You informed me you had an ecto-signature but to have one of those you must be a ghost. The ectoplasm content would be too high for you not to be a ghost. With this fact, I investigated. I even played around with one of the pictures of you on the computer, testing different theories to see if you looked like any ghost. Some people when they become a ghost they have the negative or opposite color scheme of what they had when they were human. But if you die completely we would have found your body. The ghost of you would have detached from your body, in other words. Even if you somehow overshadowed your corpse it would have started decomposing so you aren't completely dead. This led me to my next inquiry. How could a human get ghost powers? I never believed in a million years that a human could acquire such a thing but what if they weren't completely human anymore? Under the situation, you could become half-ghost. When you entered the portal and it turned on with you inside, you were electrocuted. However, this was mixed in with ectoplasm. These two reacted with each other enough to rearrange your DNA on a molecular level. As a result of being under the, dare I say, perfect circum stances, the power that was flowing into you was able to manifest itself in a 'ghost form' because you were in the process of dying. In some way, you are half-dead but the ectoplasm saved you from the electricity; in turn, the electricity saved you from the ectoplasm. It truly is fascinating. Normally, a human would not be able to stand that much ectoplasm…I'm getting off topic. Back to my point, by getting electrocuted and having ectoplasm infused into you, it gave you another form…a ghost form. From the amount of energy that pumped into you that would mean you would have came out of the portal already in your ghost form. As I was saying earlier, we played with the negatives of your color scheme as a human and discovered you look like Phantom. Even when we were talking to said ghost, he had the same mannerisms as you when you were nervous. Even sounded like you now that I think about it. Well, minus the echo in the voice." Maddie paused for a moment watching Danny. He hid his emotions very well but she could see he was impressed.

"What's your conclusion?" Danny prompted, raising an eyebrow as he took another bite of his pizza.

"To put it bluntly, you are half-ghost and you're ghost form would be Phantom." Maddie concluded then commented. "That would explain why you are late all the time, get poor grades, sleep through class, and come home with bruises. You are fighting ghosts as Phantom. The only thing I'm not sure about it how you change forms…" She took a much needed breath of air before adding, "and from the looks of things Sam, Tucker, and Jazz know about this 'secret' already but we already knew that."

"Impressive." Danny finally voiced his thoughts once he finished his slice of pizza and grabbed another. "I honestly didn't think you would get it until you started to get an open mind."

"You mean I'm right?" Maddie asked in disbelief.

Danny smiled as the familiar white ring sprung out of his mid-section and transformed him into Phantom. "Perfectly." He looked over at his dad as he took a bite of his pizza.

"Why didn't you tell us? We could have helped you." Jack finally spoke up hurt in his eyes.

Danny's eyes flashed green in anger before he snorted then said, "Help? As in what? Think something is wrong with me and try to fix me? Or try to help me ghost fight like Jazz did and only got in the way." As soon as the words escaped his mouth he regretted them. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that." Danny instantly apologized before clarifying. "I guess I'm just overreacting cause I'm scared. That's one of the reasons I didn't tell you. I was scared of what you would do once you found out. Would you try and 'fix' me or not accept me or even try to help, then get hurt. I could never forgive myself." Danny stopped when his father held up his hand.

"Danny, I understand. We never gave you a reason to tell us because we were always blabbering on about hunting ghosts. I would be scared too if I was you." Jack reassured his son with a smile.

"Oh my baby boy!" Maddie cried getting out of her seat to hung her son. A few seconds later Jack followed suit. They ignored how he was cold to the touch due to being in his ghost form and reassured him he was accepted and still loved.

"We love you even if you are human, ghost, or something in between!" Jack assured him then yelled excitedly. "This means you can be my sidekick!"

Danny couldn't help but laugh, "as long as you listen to my warning about certain ghosts." He informed his parents as they stepped away from each other.

Danny turned back into his human-form and smiled. Valerie accepted him. His parents accepted him. Now all her had to do was survive four days with Vlad. It was well worth it. Things could only look up from here. He can't wait to tell Sam and Tucker when they come back at the end of the summer. Oh, he was going to get them good…

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